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TL 2007: Return of the ORCA (recon)

Well, it looks great for having a downeast adventure this year. And not only can it just be an off-road adventure, but it can be a canoe/kyak/boat/hike/atv/or sit around the campfire adventure weekend!!

Stef and I went up this weekend to do a little recon for the adventure, and it started out like any other adventure (meaning that it started out terrible...) First the A/C in the jeep died (it appears to be the clutch on the compressor, and it gets loud...) Second every single primitive site that we went to from west lake up to duck pond and middle unknown pond were packed shoulder to shoulder... We finally found a windy spot on the beach of middle unkown, the neighbor had the radio in his truck blaring TOS, but it was just one guy in the afternoon enjoyin himself, no big deal... so we setup the tent (in very windy conditions) and soon they came... ATVs, lots of them... so given my camping intuition we packed up in less than 5 minutes and we're on the road (sound familiar??) We stopped for lunch and weighed our options, just about every site on map within a 50 mile radius was taken up or undesirable... So feeling conquered and staring at the map I saw a little number by a tent... what's this?? a campground!! we called the number in the atlas... no answer, so for our one last attempt for survival we ventured off towards topsfield in hopes of finding a beacon in the dark... and boy did we find it!!!

The Maine Wilderness Campground: Set back in the woods about 3 miles, has everything from camper hookups, cabins, tent sites, boat, canoe, and kyak rentals, docks, a beach for swimming, surrounded by lots of forest, atv trails, and loons! (they're also open year round! winter event!!) The nice lady that runs the place (Charolette) lives there with her family (off the grid, year round) And was very welcoming of the idea about having our group stay a weekend up there!

Now all we need to do is set a date!

(we're also going to try and do another trip up there to place a few caches in the area)

Yeah, the whole morning was kinda just a big rut... (pun intended) we were tryin to find a remote primative site on the back side of duck pond, went a bit to the side of the road to go around a fallen tree and found some quick sand (this is why they tell you to stay in the middle of the logging roads) on the return trip I just moved the tree... (we had so much sand packed in, that even after hosing it out we were picking rocks out of the brakes all weekend, the sand was packed in so much into the wheel wells that it was actually throwin off the weigt of the tires making a very bumpy ride, and the rocks hidden in the muck stopped us dead in our tracks and knocked the jeep outta alingment)

Plenty of room! there's about as much space at one of these sites that we had at the 2006 rally.

My favorite part about the campsite.... this is what the place looks like on memorial day weekend! (and the lady was complaining how busy it was!)

ahhhhhh....

and there's good directions along the logging roads on how to get there.

Pick a Date!!

Originally Posted by hollora

So - do you have a date yet?

No, Hollora, we need one. Folks were honing in on late July...

"Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in the creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of that confusion." --Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods

Date

So - do you have a date yet? Don't have a 4 x 4 but the campground looks inviting.......and a geoevent is always fun :-)

We're talking 21st-22nd of July in the "RE: Tread Lightly 2007?" thread.

"Given a chance, a child will bring the confusion of the world to the woods, wash it in the creek, turn it over to see what lives on the unseen side of that confusion." --Richard Louv, Last Child in the Woods

Our summer schedule is so up in the air, depending upon the status of the Jeep and available travel budget that I really can't commit. ASSuming that we are able to stick to our original plan of starting the Rubicon Trail on July 16th (3/4 day trip) then making our way back from Cali, it is highly unlikely I will be back by then (or if so, in any mood for more travel for a while). If circumstances arise and we do not make it all the way to Cali, then I might be able to.

Bottom line: please don't schedule around me--I'll go if I possibly can and if not, will be there next time.